The institution of "local purchase orders" met the difficulty. The O.C. of the hospital sent in a requisition for something which could not be obtained from Ordnance, marking it "urgently required." The A.D.M.S. endorsed it, or, if it were an entirely new line, asked the D.M.S. to endorse it. The Ordnance officer then issued a local purchase order to the medical officer, who made the purchase. The method combined a measure of control with reasonable speed in execution.
We have no sympathy with the usual references to military red-tape. If the administration is competent, the military system is thoroughly sound from the business point of view, and from the standpoint of record difficult to improve on. It may be at times a little cumbersome, but it is much easier to fall in with it than to attempt to effect alteration during war. We never had any real difficulty with requisitions, although supplies were sometimes withheld from us on grounds of policy not disclosed at the moment.
There is no doubt that the erratic changes of staff were injurious. Some medical officers preferred the front, others the base, and an attempt was made to effect an orderly system of periodical exchange. Orders, however, were continually arriving to send so many medical officers, so many nurses, and so many orderlies, here and there, with the result that at the end of ten months the original medical staff had disappeared, many of the nurses were new, and so were most of the orderlies. Whenever there was a shortage of staff near the front, the base hospitals were depleted. These changes were inevitable in the circumstances, but they emphasised the value of the advice given by Colonel Manifold, that there cannot be too many unattached junior medical officers in a campaign.
The following report from Major Brown, Officer Commanding Luna Park No. 1 Auxiliary Hospital, shows what he experienced owing to these oscillations:
First Australian General Hospital, Luna Park
April 30 Opened with 296 patients May 2 790 patients Staff: 4 sisters, 4 orderlies, and myself. With Captains Bentley, McDonald, and White from Light Horse Regiments. May 6 Sisters increased to 13. May 14 1,171 patients 13 sisters, 4 medicos, and 40 orderlies (mostly untrained). May 18 1,244 patients June 7 1,099 patients 41 sisters (new). (also 65 Casino) June 9 1,370 patients " " " (also 65 Casino) June 11 1,620 patients " " " (also 65 Casino) June 16 1,520 patients Still 4 medical officers, Capt. Brown, Capt. Single, Capt. Lovegrove, and Capt. Craig. June 17 Medical officers now increased; sisters also increased.
Palace of Prince Ibrahim Khalim (Nurses' Home).
To face page 198With reference to orderlies, the work from May 3 has been done with 10 A.M.C. men and 30 men drawn from the patients.
On June 17, 40 reinforcement A.M.C. men were detailed for duty. Up to June 16 over 1,600 patients have been discharged. On May 23 the Operating Theatre was opened.
For the 1,600 patients we had six cooks with six natives to assist.
T. F. BROWN, Captain,
Officer in Charge, Luna Park.Heliopolis,
June 17, 1915.
| April 30 | Opened with 296 | |
| patients | ||
| May 2 | 790 patients | Staff: 4 sisters, 4 orderlies, |
| and myself. With | ||
| Captains Bentley, McDonald, | ||
| and White | ||
| from Light Horse | ||
| Regiments. | ||
| May 6 | Sisters increased to 13. | |
| May 14 | 1,171 patients | 13 sisters, 4 medicos, and |
| 40 orderlies (mostly | ||
| untrained). | ||
| May 18 | 1,244 patients | |
| June 7 | 1,099 patients | 41 sisters (new). |
| (also 65 Casino) | ||
| June 9 | 1,370 patients | " " " |
| (also 65 Casino) | ||
| June 11 | 1,620 patients | " " " |
| (also 65 Casino) | ||
| June 16 | 1,520 patients | Still 4 medical officers, |
| Capt. Brown, Capt. | ||
| Single, Capt. Lovegrove, | ||
| and Capt. Craig. | ||
| June 17 | Medical officers now increased; | |
| sisters also | ||
| increased. |
Of the 93 nurses belonging to the hospital, within a week of landing no fewer than 47 were taken away and dispatched to various parts of Egypt, viz.:
| Port Said (Clearing Hospital) | 21 |
| Pont de Koubbeh (Egyptian Army H.) | 9 |
| The Citadel (British Hospital) | 6 |
| Alexandria | 2 |
| Transport duty | 8 |
| Returned to Australia (sick) | 1 |
| — | |
| 47 | |
| — |
No. 1 Australian General Hospital was much inspected by keen and curious, as well as sympathetic, eyes. His Highness the Sultan, Their Excellencies Sir Henry and Lady MacMahon, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Egypt, the General Officer Commanding Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and many other distinguished people honoured the hospital by an inspection.